Ever since that Guy — you know, the one with the spiky blond hair and big sunglasses from Food Network — stopped by LouLou’s on Monterey’s commercial wharf for an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, it’s been a madhouse. The place is small to begin with. Watching the ballet that ensued with a full house was entertaining enough that the 45-minute wait for a table went by quickly. The view of the harbor didn’t hurt, either.

They have a good system: the hostess takes your cell phone number, so you’re free to walk on the beach or down the wharf to the fish markets until your table’s ready. Service was prompt and efficient, but it was a beautiful day and people lingered over empty plates while the rest of us listened to our stomachs rumble. It didn’t help that there was a party of 13 in front of me. To get a sense of the scale of the place, they had to put four tables together to make enough room for the group, and that took up most of the outdoor seating. Here’s the great thing, though: the hostess (Maya) never stopped smiling and neither did the servers. They were efficient but not harried and stressed; they even looked like they were having fun.

Of course, the big question after 45 minutes was, “Is the food worth the wait?” Most definitely. The single-page lunch menu offered a wide range of dishes from soup and salad to burgers and full meals like sand dabs. Beer and wine are served. Chef Benito Carrillo’s special appetizer was a plate of five cornmeal-crusted, deep-fried Coos Bay oysters. They were served blisteringly hot with a side of tartar sauce. One bite through the golden, crunchy outside and into the silky, briny shellfish led to another, then another, and suddenly, they were gone.

The restaurant’s award-winning chowder is thick and creamy with a good amount of clams and a mild seafood flavor. The main event was one of the chef’s specials: three lightly-battered fillets of Petrale sole, cooked on the flat-top and served on a bed of mixed greens with a sauce made of fresh berries, mangoes and jalapeño. The dish was garnished with strawberry, mango and jicama salsa and just a hint of jalapeno. It was an intriguing and unexpected taste combination that worked surprisingly well.

You don’t often get to eat with the person who brought in a restaurant’s catch of the day, but fisherman Geovanni — a man of few words — was right there, indulging in an enormous cheeseburger. He did say he’s been fishing since 1960, first in Italy and now in Monterey. Carrillo sees the boat pull in each morning and is first in line for the day’s catch. No wonder everything was so fresh! All of the plates coming out of the kitchen looked mouth-watering, from the thick rings of calamari with fries to the abalone sliders.

Ever since Guy Fieri tried the sliders on national television, they’ve been in demand. They’re not an everyday menu item, so call ahead to make sure they’re serving them if that’s what you want. LouLou’s Griddle in the Middle is a great spot for a fresh, casual meal. For the foreseeable future, they’re going to be very popular, so bring your patience and your cell phone — your wait will be rewarded.